Tuesday, November 06, 2007

The Boy Who Couldn't Die by William Sleator


I have been recommending this out for several years on the strength of the spooky cover and the fact that it is about zombies, but this is much more philosophical than that. After Ken's best friend is killed in a plane crash, he decides to make sure this doesn't happen to him, and has his soul locked away by a woman who charges him $50 for this task. She keeps control of his soul. Obviously, not a good idea, and during a vacation to test his immortality by swimming with sharks, he meets a girl who tells him that he has probably been made into a zombie and the woman who controls his soul will force him to do a lot of evil. Getting his soul back is quite the adventure, and this is bloody enough for the students who love Darren Shan. I don't know that they will learn that it's not a good idea to sell your soul; even though Ken is regretful, I know enough about teenagers to think that he would do it all over again. This is a great title to have in most collections where the students crave horror!

2 comments:

  1. Excellent recommendation. I like Bill Sleator but I never cracked this one... now it's one of my go-to's for kids who like spooky.

    And zombies are very au courant, of course!

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  2. Anonymous1:59 PM EST

    I read this book. It was awesome! It was a very ironic ending, as all of William Sleator's books. I have been also recommending this book to others. I love zombies!

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